BUFFALO, N.Y. – Toledo shot over 50 percent from the field and three-point range but 16 turnovers proved to be too much for the Rockets (8-6) to overcome in a 104-94 loss at Buffalo (9-5) on Wednesday evening. UT will look to bounce back from its defeat in its Mid-American Conference opener on Friday evening when it hosts Akron in Savage Arena at 6:30 p.m.

Senior guard Tre'Shaun Fletcher paced Toledo offensively with 27 points but was saddled with foul trouble much of the evening and played just 25 minutes. Junior guard Jaelan Sanford contributed 18 points and a team-high five assists, while sophomore forward Willie Jackson tallied his first collegiate double-double with a career-best 16 points and 10 rebounds.

A trio of Bulls each topped the 20-point plateau with junior guard C.J. Massinburg leading the way with 27 points. He was joined by senior guard Wes Clark (25 pts.) and junior forward Nick Perkins (24 pts., 10 reb.).

Both teams were efficient shooting the basketball with UT posting a 54.1 field-goal percentage and the Bulls converting at a 53.8 percent clip. The Rockets also hit 10-of-20 three-point attempts, with UB knocking down 7-of-20 from behind the arc.

Buffalo enjoyed a significant edge at the charity stripe as it converted 87.1 percent (27-of-31) of its free throws, nearly 20 percentage points higher than its season average. UT entered the contest with a 74.6 free-throw percentage and went to the line nearly the same amount but converted just 60 percent (18-of-30).

Massinburg tallied 10 of his 27 points down the stretch after Fletcher had converted one of two free throws to cut the Rockets' deficit to three, 84-81, with 5:35 remaining. The MAC's second-leading scorer responded by hitting a jumper and two free throws on the ensuing two possessions to give Buffalo an 88-81 cushion at the 4:59 mark.

UT reduced its deficit to five points on two occasions the remainder of the contest but couldn't come any closer.

Toledo took its first lead near the midpoint of the first half after sophomore center Luke Knapke's three-pointer and layup gave the Rockets a 22-20 lead. UT expanded its advantage to 29-25 and had a chance to increase it but committed turnovers on its next two possessions.

After a three-point play by Willie Jackson evened the score at 37-37 just under the four-minute mark, the Bulls responded with an eight-point burst that led to the Rockets facing a 47-41 halftime deficit.

Toledo then fell down by 12 points three minutes after halftime but clawed back to within a point, 70-69, following a Fletcher layup with 10:42 remaining.